"What about the farmer?" said Kink.

"A nice return for a night's lodging--poaching his rabbits."

"Poaching!" cried Horace. "Is that poaching? Is Jack a poacher? Oh, how
splendid! Jack's a poacher! Jack's a poacher! I wish I was."

"I'd never thought of it as poaching," said Jack, who was not a little
proud of his new character.

"When did you set the wire?" Horace asked him.

"Late last night," said Jack. "After you had turned in."

"Wasn't it pitch dark?" Horace asked.

"There was a moon," said Jack, feeling twice his ordinary size.

"But what did you do?" Horace asked.

"Well," said Jack, "I had noticed some rabbits in that field on our way
back from Cirencester, so I just crept off in the dark and found a
hole, and took a strong stick and drove that into the ground, and then
fixed the wire to it with the noose open, like this, so that the rabbit
would run right into it when it came out. And it did! Poaching's
frightfully simple."

"Yes," said Horace, "but it wants courage."

"Oh, yes," said Jack lightly. "Of course one mustn't be a fool or a
coward."

It was arranged that Janet and Jack and Robert and Hester should go to
church, and Mary and the others stay behind to cook. The boys walked,
but Janet and Hester were driven in by the farmer in his chaise. Janet
had a rather uncomfortable moment at the beginning of the sermon, for
the text was taken from Matthew xxii, where the piece of money is
produced, and the question asked, "Whose is this image and
superscription?" Of course they all thought simultaneously of the old
Irishwoman, and gave Janet a quick glance. She was very glad that Kink
(who was a Dissenter) was not with them to fix his old laughing eye
upon her.

Mary had worked very hard over the Sunday dinner, and a great surprise
was waiting for the four church-goers--nothing less than a beefsteak
pudding with the most perfect soft crust and heaps of juice; and
afterwards pancakes. The farmer's wife sent down some strawberries and
cream, so that it was a real feast. The only one of them that was not
hungry was Mary, who was too hot and tired of cooking to be able to eat
much.

In spite of this huge and momentous dinner, all the children went out
on Sunday afternoon to explore the neighbourhood, except Hester, who
said she had something very important to do and begged to be allowed to
remain alone in the Slowcoach. Kink said that he would stay there, too.

On the other side of Cirencester